Description

a 5 paragraph essay about a song and society from a different perspective

Preview

The Tragically Hip – Bobcaygeon

The study of other countries’ history is something that benefits us all, more or less. George Santayana once said that those who don't know history, they are destined to repeat it. History tells us and shows us why we are where we are today. History encompasses all the other areas of study, science, economics, anthropology, everything. It shows us our mistakes so we can learn from them. It teaches us about who we were and why we are as we are today. With learning this information and the who, what, when , where, and why and how of past events it can be used as a way to make educated guesses as to how different systems will or may react in the future. It teaches people how to think critically about events and helps us to understand what it is to be human.

Bobcaygeon was written by a rockband called The tragically hip, and it’s a song from their sixth album “Phantom Power”, 1998. The song is named after a town in Canada, called Bobcaygeon, Ontario. They have received numerous Canadian Music awards, including 14 Juno Awards, the song Bobcaygeon won one of the Juno Awards for Single of the year in 2000.

The song tells us about the history of Canada and how they struggled against the worst race riot in their history. In the 30’s Toronto was still very much a British colonial city. On August 16, 1933, Christie Pits was the scene of a six-hour riot, between the Swastika-Club and the Jewish Spadina Avenue Gang. In 1933, shortly after Adolph Hitler was elected to power in Germany, newspaper articles reached Toronto bringing with them news of the atrocities the Nazis were carrying out against Jews there. There was a game between St. Peters team and Jewish Harbord, in the area that many Jews just moved into to, and the hatred against them were running very high. Despite all the hatred they hat to go through, The Hardbord Playground team won. But the day after the game, it was a large swastika and a note that read Heil Hitler hanging on the top of Christie Pits clubhouse. A group of Jews went to tear the swastika down, wich in turn led to big fights, violence etc. and the riot took place.

In the lyrics it is written “Riding on horseback and keeping order restored” wich could be the police, or the nazist, but it can also mean the the police who’s trying to keep the order restored are the police. “Til the men they couldn't hang, Stepped to the mic and sang, cnd their voices rang with that Aryan twang” I belive this is the Jews he’s singing ...